“Veni, Vidi, Vici” or otherwise known as “I came, I saw, I conquered” is Latin a phrase that perfectly captures the very ideal of triumph. The positive connotation of the word triumph in this interpretation emphasizes success. What we usually fail to recognize, however, is that at the other side of someone’s triumphant achievement exists an overwhelming defeat. This means that triumph’s dominating nature is achieved at the sacrifice of a vanquished enemy.

The October issue of The Granite Tower (GT) invites its readers into exploring the wealth of discussion regarding issues that demonstrate different aspects of triumph. Our Cover Story deals with the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. With the withdrawal of the United States (U.S.) from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country, the Afghans have been forced to face an uncertain future. A situation that may be considered a victory for the Taliban is a total nightmare for Afghanistan, especially for the women and refugees. This edition also deals with other social and economic matters on a domestic level. From the article on the Mergepoint crisis, we witness how a company’s huge dream for success ends up making everyone involved worse off than ever before. We also discuss October’s significance in its role as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wherein GT wrote an article in light of this occasion that features different endeavors being made to raise awareness of breast cancer.

By taking a closer look at issues that involve multiple parties, we can ultimately understand the relationship between triumph and defeat. This is what GT aims to do by providing this unique perspective with its October edition – through close examination of the world’s myriad problems and analysis of the complexity behind a seemingly simple relationship of triumph and defeat.